Emergency doctor Elizabeth Pickersgill was unconscious when she was taken to Bassetlaw Hospital, where she died later that night.

Also involved in the accident, which happened on Sunday 27th January, was Geoffrey Mercer, of Windsor Gardens, in Carlton, who was driving his Mitsubishi Pajero towing a caravan.

Weeping as he recalled the moment of impact, Mr Mercer said he had been on his way home from a caravan rally with his wife.

“I remember thinking that it wasn’t going to be an appropriate overtaking,” he said at the inquest. “And then there was just this horrific bang when the collision happened.”

Mrs Pickersgill was on her way home from church to celebrate her 48th birthday with her family when the accident happened.

She was following the car-caravan and decided to overtake when she collided with an oncoming bus.

Tracy Shaw, was behind the Stagecoach bus with three children in her car and was caught up in the collision.

Mrs Shaw, who sobbed when giving evidence, said she saw Mrs Pickersgill come out onto the other side of the road.

“Then she came out again for a second time and I knew something was going to happen. All I could think about was the children.”

The road was closed for eight hours while emergency services cleared the area.

Deputy coroner, Catherine Mason, recorded a verdict of accidental death and gave her sympathy to Mrs Pickersgill’s family.

“Liz thought she could overtake the car and caravan but unfortunately this caused an unavoidable collision,” she said.

“There was no way the other vehicles involved could have taken any other action.”

Her husband Trevor attended the inquest but made no comment.

Mrs Pickersgill, known as Beth, also leaves behind her 14-year-old son Francis, who plans to follow in his mother’s footsteps and train as a doctor.